Kendall Jenner covers Teen Vogue as ‘fashion’s new It Girl’: good pick?

Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner covers the September issue of Teen Vogue. MTV says she pulls off every look offered up by the mag. This cover comes off as more of a “celebrity” feature than a “model” one. I used to feel badly for Kendall when she talked about not being taken seriously. The NYT wrote a sympathetic piece about how Kendall was “aggressively managed,” so it was easy to see her as a victim of Lucifer’s homegirl (credit to Kaiser).

Then Kendall started doing dumb things on her own. Stuff like going commando on the red carpet and driving recklessly. Kendall could break free from the Kardashian madness if she wanted to do so. She already has her own apartment, but she’s still appearing on KUWTK. She recently moaned over how her family’s fame was a detriment to her modeling career instead of the reason she’s famous. Kendall complains to Teen Vogue about the same issue and eats a cheeseburger during the interview:

Fame’s impact on her career: “People didn’t want to take a chance on me, I think because I was sort of known. They were a little bit on the fence about it. Some people might think that what I’ve done before made it easier for me to get jobs, but it was actually a disadvantage. I had to work even harder.”

Her funky brows: “I actually had them bleached today. This is the sixth time since February! I might have to start saying no at some point, because I’m getting worried they’re going to fall out!”

Her lifelong dream: “As a kid. I always looked up to supermodels, thinking about how amazing they are. I always wanted to be in photos. It was mostly little things, but they were fun. I wanted to get started, but I was young, and I wanted to do young things. I had to grow into myself. I couldn’t really go out there as a 15-year-old. I mean, I know that some girls do, but I couldn’t. I’d grown up in the spotlight, and I needed to be a kid for a minute.”

Age 17 was a turning point: “I was like, ‘All right, I’m going to start taking this seriously.’ I felt like I should pick specific designers that I wanted to go for so I could make a good first impression–or more like a fifth impression. But it’s my first impression on this world.”

[From Teen Vogue]

If Kendall wasn’t famous at all, she would have had to work incredibly hard to get to where she is now, if she would have made it at all. Kendall thinks she did all the work herself and fought valiantly against the chains of crippling fame. I used to root for Kendall, but she’s making it very difficult to like her.

Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner

Photos courtesy of Teen Vogue

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68 Responses to “Kendall Jenner covers Teen Vogue as ‘fashion’s new It Girl’: good pick?”

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  1. gilmore says:

    She’s a very pretty girl, but she’s just as vapid and delusional as the rest of her family. At most she would be a forever 21 model if the Jenner name or her mother weren’t so well known. Actually, f21 would suit her better anyways she looks out of place in high fashion shoots and runways.

    • Mia V. says:

      Mirror, mirror on the wall, am I the dumbiest Kardashian of them all?

    • mint says:

      If her mother wasn´t the pimp she is and Kanye West wasn´t having all these fashion connections – she would be nowhere, because this industry is oversaturated with young, tall and beautiful girls. She is a bad choice- she might be a somewhat pretty girl but she is not a model.
      These Kardashian/ Jenner girls should be grateful that they grew up rich and have the opportunity to make easy money on a reality tv show, club openings, posting pics on instagram etc and call this way of life “hard work”. If they actually had to go to school and work a normal job, they would not stand a chance in real life.

    • Lisa says:

      I’m sorry, but she is SO average! I don’t get the appeal! She’s really not that stunning! She’s like….catalogue model territory!

      • lisa says:

        i think she is the most model like material in her family

        which is not the same as being model like

      • Candace says:

        These photos make it obvious even to me that she’s not a model. The casting agents at the Marc Jacobs and Chanel shows probably sized her up in 2 seconds and knew she was not a model, but cast her anyway because of her name. Kind of sad she doesn’t realize it.

    • Nicolette says:

      Those names opened doors for her. I doubt any agency would’ve been interested in her otherwise, she’s very pretty but lacks that certain something to make her a high fashion model let alone the ‘It’ girl. Forever 21 is right about on target.

      • janie says:

        Priceless! She picked the designer she wanted to work for? If that’s not arrogant, I don’t know what is. She’s average in every sense of the word.

    • hhbcbvnq says:

      Pretty? I find her rather plain. Maybe a 2.

    • reddy says:

      Funny that the only celebrity-kids who complain about this “problem” are always the ones that are not talented at all, or at least not as much as they believe. Like, they don’t ever for a second think “well, i might not be as good at this job…maybe i just try someting else and be amazing at that”. Just because you always dreamt of being a model, does not mean you are entitled to that career. And just because you liked to be fotographed as a child does not make you a natural talent. It just makes you a child that never grew out of the “look mommy, i’m wearing your dress, don’t i look pretty”-phase.

  2. snark says:

    She looks really different in these pics…

  3. Lucretia says:

    Not a good pick. She’s barely passable as a model. And she’s a lousy example for teenagers and young women, since she seems to normalize Kardashion exhibitionism as a job.

    • Froggy says:

      exactly this ^

      • homegrrrl says:

        I guess the 80’s were the last decade of the truly beautiful models. Glamazons, right? The faces, the bodies, healthy glow, shining hair, muscle, for the most part. Now it’s the Baldwin girl and this whatever her name is girl. If I didn’t know these young women were celebs, it would be illogical to have them featured.

      • TheOneandOnlyOnly says:

        Yes homegrrrl but the 90s had the supers and many, many top models – Amber Valetta and Shalow Harlow – one of the best model combos and light years ahead of this fame ho.

  4. BeckyR says:

    Bleh!

  5. Hissyfit says:

    I don’t know why she’s denying the fact that she has this hot modeling career right now because of being a Kardashian? I think it’s great that she’s doing something she loves and that she actually works but calling her the newest “IT” girl is too much.

    Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevigne were it girls because they were everywhere fashion related. They were the faces of almost all of the luxury brands. I’ve only seen one print ad of Kendall and it was a group shot not a solo ad so obviously the designers and brands aren’t fawning over her… At least not yet.

  6. Mzizkrizten says:

    How is she barely passable as a model? She’s beautiful, she’s tall, she’s badly behaved and narcissistic. Total model type.

  7. INeedANap says:

    I remember a couple of years ago, she seemed kind of unenthusiastic about modeling. Has PMK’s brainwashing sunk in, or has Kendall really just grown a new appreciation for it?

    And I am going to disagree with MTV. Kendall is a lovely young woman with a model’s body, but she doesn’t have the presence to pull off couture looks. Dead eyes and same-face all around. She seems more like a catalogue girl.

    • booboocita says:

      AAARgh, yes. “Same-face.” Her expression doesn’t change from photo to photo. Even when she’s smiling, she looks blank.

  8. Mea Culpa says:

    I think Kendall is a really pretty girl but this never comes across when she models. For some reason her face just does not photograph that well. In every one of those pictures she just looks so bland and expressionless. It’s obvious that she is only getting these covers because she is a Kardashian, she is an average model at best. Honestly I’ve seen better photos on America’s Next Top Model.

  9. Dhavynia says:

    I wonder how much influence her “family” had regarding this magazine issue.

    Anyone with any fashion sense would label a Kardashian “it” anything

  10. Kiddo says:

    The last photo is interesting, mostly because of the make-up and fashion. In most of the photos, she really hasn’t varied her expressions. There’s no ‘smizing’ or any other emotion radiating from her face, although she is a very cute woman. I haven’t looked at other photos to see if she really has modeling skills.

    • TheOriginalKitten says:

      The problem is that she looks like a million other models out there. Nothing about her sticks out except for her last name. She’s very pretty, but she just doesn’t have “it”.

      Also this: “I always looked up to supermodels, thinking about how amazing they are. I always wanted to be in photos” gives me the sads.
      Alas, growing up a Kardashian, the poor girl never had much of a chance I suppose.

      • Kiddo says:

        Yeah, I hate to admit it, that I learned something from Tyra’s show, years ago, that it’s not so much ‘the pretty’, but how well you can transform yourself in poses and expressions. There is some personality and attitude that has to come through. I guess the best models are those who can ‘act’ without speaking, and who are able to express a theme, a story, and emotion, etc. through body movement and expression. That’s why some of the best models might not always be beautiful, per se, but they do have skills, and of course, there are variables such as being photogenic regardless of how you appear in the flesh. These photos are somewhat bland or ordinary, in regard to the qualifiers above. None are ‘fierce’ or particularly artful. She may have been better off smiling in a few shots. It is a teen mag, after all.

      • Josefa says:

        I think the total opposite – she doesn’t look like a model at all for me. I used to be a huge fashion/model follower, and what most high fashion designers are looking for are edgier faces. Sharp cheekbones, strong bone structures, piercing eyes. I don’t know what the trend in fashion is right now (when I was into it, it was eastern european girls), but I know for a fact the girl-next-door pretty girls are very ’90s – ’80s, even.

        PS: America’s Next Top Model is exactly what got me into fashion and once you know how the actual thing works you notice Tyra is full of sh*t, lol. But what Kiddo says is true – the models with lasting power are those with more than just a face. The ones that stay are the ones who crave a style of modeling that makes them unique. Gemma Ward and her doll-like innocence (miss her so much!), Lara Stone and her hot bad girl image, Coco Rocha with her quirkiness, etc.

  11. Loopy says:

    Does she really believe she had to work harder? This family has achieved the biggest social climb in recent pop culture history.

  12. daisyfly says:

    She doesn’t have it. Her features are so ordinary. Ordinary is fine, but the models who count in this industry are extraordinary. She’s got catalog face and mall shows body. What that means is that no scout would have noticed her at all. Ever. Period. If not for her sister’s porn tape, this girl’s best hope at modeling would have been as a Barbizon School Of Modeling call card model.

    • Josephine says:

      I have to agree. She’s skinny, but she’s a plain jane. And I don’t think being hired for a couple jobs makes her and “it” girl. What is really disturbing is that she looked up to supermodels. For what exactly? The anorexia? The drugs? The bad relationships with rockers? I understand wanting to be pretty, and wanting to be a model, but I don’t understand thinking that they are someone worthy of worship.

  13. Chris says:

    Don”t tell me this Kardashian thing is gonna go on for another ten years.
    Make it stop! Make it stop!

    • Nicolette says:

      Yes, I’m afraid so. And don’t forget PMK already has Nori and Kourtney’s daughter waiting in the wings to take the reigns at some point.

  14. Adrien says:

    She looks more like a Kardashian than a Jenner. I’m sorry but she’s very commercial looking to be taken seriously as a high fashion model. She’s too girl next door looking. She can do Sears catalog, an Avon teen underwear catalog or soda commercials where she plays a cheerleader type beauty. How is she different from Taylor Swift doing haute couture? And Tay-tay could pass for a model.

  15. eliza says:

    I see catalog model, not high fashion “It” girl.

    Satan’s mistress, Kris Jenner, has once again managed to get her rather unremarkable spawn the career they need to haul in that $$$$$$.

  16. TG says:

    I think it is funny that now that Kendall is making it in the moldeling industry her big sis KimME follows her around. Every runway show KimMe can be seen waddling around and trying to steal Kendall’s thunder. You don’t see Kim costing up to Rob and his sock collection. She is such a user and opportunist. I wonder what KimME will do when Kendall gets a Vogue cover shot all by herself. I also wonder if PMK will be fawning all over Kendall like she does Kim.

  17. MrsBPitt says:

    Kendall Kardashian, Ireland Baldwin, Ali Lohan, etc….you girls would NOT be modeling if not for your famous parents…JUST ADMIT IT!

    • Mingy says:

      this.

    • Meme says:

      This nauseates me. None of these girls are high fashion model material. PMK bought Kendall this career she’s “worked so hard” for. She hasn’t worked for,anything in her life. Put her next to real supermodels and she’s a major fail.

    • Pandy says:

      Very true AND none of them will have much of a “modelling” career anyway.

  18. Eileen says:

    These pictures do not look as flattering as others I’ve seen of her- give me someone who has worked herself from the ground up versus riding the coattails of her family-seems we’ve seen several girls cashing in for nothing lately as models

  19. Kori says:

    I think she could do fine on the runway–she’s tall and skinny with long legs and seems to have a decent enough walk. But face-wise, not so much. She’s a very pretty girl but as many years of watching America’s Next Top Model will tell you, many pretty girls just don’t translate well through the lens. I think Kendall is like that. I rarely see a ‘wow’ photo of her. And I’ve seen better beauty covers on ANTM as well. But a career as a runway model? I could definitely see that. I did like her comment about targeting specific designers and trying to impress them though. That at least seemed like a plan.

  20. dorothy says:

    She’s very ordinary looking. Nothing striking or amazing about her looks. I really don’t see her career going any farther than it has already.

  21. Elizabeth says:

    Also from a famous family, Gig Hadid (Yolanda Foster from RHOBH daughter) seems way more appropriate for this model title. I am so tired of the Kardashians.

  22. AlmondJoy says:

    I find her boring and beautiful. When I think of a model, I think of someone who is able to emote and transform. She can’t do that.

    On another note, I feel bad that she’s often labeled as a Kardashian when she’s actually a Jenner.

    • word says:

      Yeah but she’s used the Kardashian connection to her advantage, so don’t feel too bad for her.

    • TG says:

      Trust me she probably prefers the Kardashian name and connection to the Jenner one. She is her mother’s daughter after all. The one you should feel bad for is Bruce, and that is a big maybe at that.

  23. word says:

    So Adrienne Bailon says the same thing about how being associated with the Kardashians hurt her career and Kim explodes…Kendall says the EXACT SAME THING in two different interviews and it’s ok? Hypocrites.

    Sorry Kendall, you are where you are because of your family’s fame. You can’t just decide at 17 “ok I want to walk for Givenchy” and then next week you’re in Paris walking for Givenchy. Please that was all Kanye and PMK who got you there. Most girls who really want to model start at 13 or 14 and work very hard to reach the Paris runways. You just told your mom you wanted to model and she got you a gig the very next day (it was filmed for your show so there’s proof).

    • Booklion says:

      You have hit the nail right on the head! The ironic thing about it is though, Adrienne had some success/fame before Rob and her got involved. Kendall has never had anything without her family, whereas Adrienne saying it hurt her career is actually kind of true. Most people know her for her kardashian association and forget averything she had achieved before the kardashians were in her life.

      I see that delusion continues to run strong through this family. She never worked hard for anything. I remember once on the show when she was like 16 she was goofing around and throwing a little hissy fit because Kim was making her do runway work and then suddenly a year later – after no further practice on her runway walk or skills – Kendall is walking in blue collar, top tier fashion shows with no experience or skills or anything. That is so obviously the work of Kanye West, PMK and Katie Grand. No way has she achieved anything on her own, she owes everything she has to her family and her connections. She would not have been looked at twice if she wasn’t connected to the Kardashians.

  24. Marcell says:

    I’ve already mentioned this before in another post, but just two weeks ago I met both Kendall and Kylie on my flight from LAX to DFW (they were going to promote their new line for PacSun). They were nice girls and I definitely think Kendall is the nicer one of the two, very bubbly and aware. Kylie hardly lifted her head from her phone and when she did she would cover her face with her hand. She’s only 16, I guess I can’t really blame her for her angst. They were both a tad messy though, they left bags of various junk food and crumbs littered all over the floor in first class. But I definitely enjoyed meeting them!

    • Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

      the first hand stories are interesting – I guess Kanye needs to step in, do some parenting and teach these gals to clean up after themselves – since Kris doesn’t seem to be doing her job in that dept. – to leave messes for others to clean is a bad habit no matter how rich or poor one is – it shows something about a person’s character.

    • TG says:

      Well Kylie is similar to Khloe in that neither of them would ever have their picture taken or be part of any promotional campaign let alone a magazine cover, if they weren’t contractually tied to their more attractive and lucrative sibling(s). PMK makes sure Kylie gets jobs with Kendall the same as she did for Khloe and to a certain extent Khourtney (who is gorgeous in her own right).

  25. lucy says:

    “Unremarkable spawn” indeed!

    A cardboard box has more expression than her face. She conveys the full tonal range of mediocrity.

  26. Reece says:

    She looks like that Ariana Grande chick in the thumbnail/2nd pic.
    That’s not a compliment.

  27. me says:

    Why’d they give her a cleft chin in that second pic? She is a pretty girl but these pics are not flattering. She’s better off doing “face straight ahead” pics than side ones. I don’t know, these pics barely look like her.

  28. kri says:

    Those are straight up some of the worst pics I have ever seen. In that cover she looks like an old lady in Communist-era central Europe. She would only be on the cover of tabloids if her mother hadn’t worked it for her.

  29. Dotty says:

    Kylie to post a slew of jealous, inappropriate selfies to Instagram in 3…2…1

  30. Lia says:

    She’s cashing in on the Kardashian name. That face is not one that would cause a fashion editor to stop in their tracks and say “What a beautiful girl!!”, if they just saw her walking down the street as an anonymous person.

  31. Joh says:

    Bookmark these pics because in a few short years she will have had work done and look just like Kim and pmk.

  32. Brionne says:

    She looks as good as many of these plain face people called supermodels nowadays. Giselle Bundchen is not beautiful per se. Neither is karlie Kloss or Kara delaveign. All of these are tall lanky plain faced girls made to look glam in photos. Kendall fits right in there. She is PMK’ s New show horse. How does Kim feel I wonder?

  33. Denise says:

    Wholly underwhelming, most of them. I do like the brow-less photo best because I don’t recognise her. Otherwise they’re just photos of Kendall Jenner and that’s really boring.

  34. mar says:

    she does not look attractive here. She just does not have the facial structure for high fashion.

  35. LAK says:

    She’s very basic. Doesn’t jump out at all. Definitely a celebrity cover. She got the september cover so someone is aggressively pushing her.

  36. Naddie says:

    Model, really? She’s got professional make up, expensive clothers, photoshop… and still looks like that? She looks average in all the pics, but the second one is specially fugly.